Jan Švankmajer's Surviving Life

About this event

This is a screening by Porlock Press, an independent Nottingham-based film club showing a wide range of cult film, with a focus on animation of all kinds.

Evžen leads a secret double life, split across the waking world and the land of dreams. By day he is a married man working a run-of-the-mill office job, but by night he wanders the streets of his sleeping mind to rendezvous with a mysterious woman named Eva (or is she Eliza, Emily, or even Evženie?).

With the aid of psychoanalyst Dr Holubová and an esoteric book on lucid dreaming, Evžen explores his interior world and experiences a revelation that shakes the very core of his being.

Made with a mix of live action close-ups and animated photograph cut-outs, Surviving Life perfectly captures the familiar yet uncanny feeling of dreaming.

Švankmajer uses the collage aesthetic to great effect, unloading a barrage of Surrealist imagery on his audience. Humans swap heads with animals (and vice-versa) as a giant snake stalks the city in search of prey.

Flowers explode into bloom like halos around people’s heads. Teeth are violently extracted from wailing mouths and eggs rain down from the sky. Classical symbols of fertility are found everywhere.

Described as a psychoanalytical comedy, Surviving Life continues the director’s lifelong investigation into the power and potential of our subconscious lives.

Don’t miss this rare chance to see a hidden gem of Švankmajer’s filmography on the big screen!

"Buñuel + Disney = Švankmajer" - Miloš Forman

Screening in Czech with English subtitles